Today I wanted to try a couple of recipes that call for cashews to be whipped up in a "high powered blender." For the uninitiated, this means a VitaMix, or similar, which costs something like $350. We can't afford that, and Todd probably wouldn't allow it even if we could. Now, I think it would be alright to use cashew butter in place of the cashews in the recipe, but a) I wouldn't be certain of the proper amount of cashew butter to use and b) Our supermarket doesn't carry cashew butter anyway, just almond butter. Now in a pinch I suppose almond butter would do, but the taste would definately be off, so I tried something else first, which worked marvelously. I soaked the cashews overnight in a bowl of water. Eureka! My standard, $30 blender pureed the softened nuts just fine.
Okay, so what is up with these Fuhrman recipes? "Serves 2", "Serves 4", etc. Is he crazy? I've found those serving sizes to be waaaaay too big. I mean, I made some Garbanzo Guacamole this morning, supposedly 2 servings, but I swear "Serves 20" would be closer to accurate. I'm not joking. On the other hand, I wasn't crazy about it. I think it was the green onions; I'd probably try to use 1/3 of the recommended onions next time. It was just too spicy. If I ever manage to get the recipe to my liking, I'll post it here.
One thing that was to my liking was the kale. Considering that kale is probably the healthiest food on the planet, it's nice to know a tasty way to prepare it.
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California Creamed Kale Serves 4 (or possibly 14 -- well, just kidding)
2 bunches kale, leaves cut off the stems, chopped, and steamed 15-20 minutes until soft (you wil need a BIG pot)
Sauce:
1 cup cashews, 1 cup soymilk, 1/4 cup onion flakes, 1 Tbsp no-salt seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash's onion and garlic)
Blend the sauce ingredients together in a blender. After steaming the kale, press it with a paper towel in a colander to squeeze out excess water. In a serving bowl, mix the kale and sauce together.
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So, for lunch today I had lots of raw veggies (cucumber, baby carrots, red bell pepper) with the guacamole I mentioned earlier, some creamed kale, and a peach. Very full now -- not painfully so, but yeah, I'm definately not hungry.
Tonight for dinner I'm going to make a very, very large bowl of soup, a very, very large salad, and some Cashew Orange Dressing. Actually, I made the dressing this morning. It tasted good, but a bit mild to me, and I haven't tried it in salad yet. Also, the book said "4 servings," but those would have to be servings of perhaps 1/2 cup each! But, like I said, it is mild, so perhaps that's how much you would use? It was a piece of cake to make.
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Orange Cashew Dressing Serves 4 (if all 4 people are eating gigantic salads, and love this dressing)
Puree together in a blender: 2 oranges, 1/3 cup cashews, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 tsp lemon juice
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I'm finding I have completely overestimated the amount of food I will be eating. It's not just that my stomach is small; (honestly, I think it's not that small anymore; I'm eating a lot) it's just that I had no idea how big these portions are. And Note To Self: when you're eating raw veggies as a side, you don't need a whole cucumber, a whole bell pepper, and a huge handful of baby carrots! :) Half of that would be plenty.
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